I stumbled upon this young adult trilogy
when I kept hearing about the upcoming movie. Set in a post apocalyptic world called Panem (in what used to be the United States) 12 districts are held under the brutal rule of the Capitol which demands two teenage sacrifices each year for the televised Hunger Games. Acting as gladiators, the teenagers must fight each other to the death, while surviving the torturous traps set by the Gamekeepers.The Hunger Games are a constant reminder to all of the districts of their dependence upon the Capitol and it's total supremacy.
Katniss Everdeen (living in what was once Appalachia) offers herself as a sacrifice when her sister is initially chosen. Along with her likable schoolmate Peeta Mellark, she sets out for the Captiol intent on surviving the Games and returning home to her mother and sister.
The first book in the series, The Hunger Games
, deals with Katniss' fight for survival in the "arena" of the games and her necessary but uneasy alliance with Peeta. I would discuss the following books, Catching Fire
and Mockingjay
, but they contain major spoilers. However, Collins did the impossible by creating two follow-up books that enhance and sometimes surpass the initial book.Collins has created an engrossing set of novels that deal with everything from pop culture, war, love, survival, science, and what it means to be human when forced into inhumane situations. I literally couldn't put these books down and finished the trilogy in a single week.
For readers who are worried the books will be too violent, I will admit there is a lot of violence, but I didn't find it to be excessive or overly uncomfortable.
I also found the science fiction aspect highly enjoyable. I rarely read sci-fi, but when I do it is usually intended for young adults (i.e. Ender's Game
).Suzanne Collins' Amazon Page can be found here.
